Your guide to early voting in Butler County: When to vote, where to go

Early voting for Ohio’s March 17 primary election begins on Feb. 19, 2020. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Early voting for Ohio’s March 17 primary election begins on Feb. 19, 2020. NICK GRAHAM/STAFF

Early voting polls for the March 17 presidential primary at all of Ohio’s 88 county boards of elections offices are now open.

Voters can request a Republican, Democrat or Libertarian party, or an issues-only ballot, either at in-office voting or by mail.

Here are six things to know about voting in the March 17 primary:

What’s on the ballot?

Ballots are specific to every precinct in Ohio. To preview what’s on your ballot, you can do that online.

For Butler County voters, visit elections.bcohio.us.

For Warren County voters, visit  warrencountyboe.us.

Where to vote

During early voting, Butler and Warren county voters must go to their board of elections office.

Butler County voters can go to 1802 Princeton Road in Hamilton.

Warren County voters can go to 520 Justice Drive in Lebanon.

On Election Day, voters must go to their precincts. To find your precinct:

• Butler County voters can visit elections.bcohio.us.

• Warren County voters can visit warrencountyboe.us.

 

In-office voting hours

All 88 boards of elections have the same hours for early voting.

• 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays from now until March 6,

• 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. from March 9 to 13,

• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 7 and 14; and

• 1 to 5 p.m. on March 15 and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 16.

On Election Day, voters must got to their precincts between 6:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 17.

What to have

Voting during early voting is similar to Election Day voting.

Ohio law indicates voters must state his or her full name and current address and then provide proof of identity.

The forms of identification that can be used include:

• an unexpired Ohio driver’s license or state identification card with present address. The voter’s former address can appear on the license or ID card as long as their present residential address is printed in the official registered voter list;

• a military identification; or

• a photo identification that was issued by the United States government or Ohio that contains the voter’s name and current address. It cannot be expired.

Voters can also provide an original or copy of a current:

• utility bill with the voter’s name and present address;

• bank statement with the voter’s name and present address;

• government check with the voter’s name and present address;

• paycheck with the voter’s name and present address; or

• other government document (other than a notice of voter registration mailed by a board of elections) that shows the voter’s name and present address.

Vote at home

Registered voters can request an absentee ballot mailed to their home.

Absentee ballot request forms can be made online at MyOhioVote.com. Those forms must be mailed with your printed name and signature to your local board of elections office. These forms must be to the county board of elections no later than noon on March 14.

All vote-by-mail ballots being mailed on March 16 must have a postmark to ensure it was mailed before Election Day. Any properly postmarked ballots will be counted if they are received up to 10 days after the election.

Vote-by-mail ballots can also be hand-delivered to the county board of elections office before polls close at 7 p.m. on March 17, Election Day.

Any questions on filling out the identification portion of the absentee ballot can be directed to the board of elections.

In Butler County, voters can call 513-887-3700.

In Warren County, voters can call 513-695-1358.

Election Day

Polls will be open from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Election Day, March 17.

In addition to bringing your identification, you will need to make sure you’re not wearing any campaign-related materials. No campaign material is permitted within 100 feet of any voting precinct or early voting center.

Slate cards given to voters by one of the political parties outside a polling location or early vote center is permitted.

If you requested an absentee ballot, and one was mailed — and did not return it — you will be asked to fill out a provisional ballot. If you requested an vote-by-mail ballot, it’s preferred voters return those completed ballots.

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